When Colin and I were asked for a list of cover artists we’d like approached for Star Wars: Invasion, Jo Chen was at the very top of that list.

Jo has done incredible, award-winning work for all of the major comics publishers but it was her work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer that first grabbed my attention, and this piece of Buffy and Willow grabbed very hard.

We were very fortunate to have Jo with us on the first thirteen covers of Star Wars Invasion.

For a look at how Jo created the cover to Star Wars Invasion #1, click the image below.

The ‘End of Year Comic Awards‘ over at NFAMOUS.NET have given ‘Best Miniseries’ to Star Wars: Blood Ties, which was also nominated for ‘Best Limited Series or One Shot’ over at COMICBOOKED.COM “…this piece is truly perfect. Perfect in art, perfect in literature, and perfect in Star Wars. Also, Boba Fett takes down a rancor.” – COMICBOOKED.COM

‘The best Damn Comics of 2010′ over at the ‘The Daily Cross Hatch’ also saw The Example get some love.

A huge year of writing comics has come to an end and I decided to do a bit of a review… then I changed my mind and just made a collage – a visual representation of how much sleep I missed last year.

Yep, all of these books came out in 2010 – that’s two for every month.

A huge thanks to all of the people I was lucky enough to work with in 2010

Thanks to all of the artists – Colin Wilson, Chris Scalf, Al Barrionuevo, Mike S Miller, Skye Ogden, Daxiong, Brian Koschak, James Brouwer, Wes Dzioba, Mike Heisler and Em Smith.

To my wonderful editors – Randy Stradley, Jim Chadwick, Wolfgang Bylsma, Freddye Lins, Kristy Quinn, Gary Edwards, Shannon Eric Denton and Ben Abernathy.

To the ridiculous wealth of cover artists – Jo Chen, Dave Gibbons, Kevin Nowlan, Philip Tan, Pete Woods,  Howard Porter, Chris Sprouse, Tim Seeley, Sean McNally and Jeremy Raapack.

And of course, an enormous thank you to every single person who read my books in 2010.  THANK YOU!

This year is already looking enormous, with a pile of work due for publication and some hints of more big gigs in the pipeline – 2011 preview post coming soon…

Issue #6 ran into a few problems with solicitation but it will now be in stores on December 15.

This is the cover.  It is stunning.

Fight for my love, children!

STAR WARS: INVASION—RESCUES #4 (of 6)
Tom Taylor (W), Colin Wilson (A), Wes Dzioba (C), and Jo Chen (Cover)
On sale Sept 29
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Miniseries
Jedi-in-training Finn Galfridian learns a secret about his mother that he never knew, but the knowledge only leads to new questions about himself and his unusual ability.
Meanwhile, Kaye Galfridian leads a New Republic attack against a Yuuzhan Vong base, not realizing that the Vong commander’s tactics are meant to buy him time to learn more about his most hated foe: Kaye’s brother, Finn.
New allies, new enemies, and a turning point in the lives of the Galfridian family!

STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES—A TALE OF JANGO AND BOBA FETT #2 (of 4)
Tom Taylor (W) and Chris Scalf (A/Cover)
On sale Sept 29
FC, 40 pages
$3.50
Miniseries
Then: Jango Fett, the most dangerous assassin/bounty hunter in the galaxy, never fails to get his man. But Jango has never had a success that has affected him this way.
Now: Boba Fett has taken up his father’s mantle and lived up to Jango’s fearsome reputation. But a secret from the past has Boba working a case he would normally dismiss and wondering if he actually knew his father as well as he thought . . .
Across the generations, and across the galaxy, if a Fett is on your trail, you’ve reached a dead end!
Fully painted art by Purge artist Chris Scalf!

“Writer Tom Taylor (Invasion) has submitted a proposal to turn the concept of Blood Ties(previewed here two weeks ago) into a semi-regular series, with the idea of having artist Chris Scalf provide the painted art for each issue! Note: it will not be what you expect it to be!”

I’m very happy to see this made public and I’m looking forward to throwing myself into it after I finish the last Jango and Boba Fett script.

Next up, an interview I did for Star Wars Books in the UK.

“My day generally begins when I am kneed in the chest by the full force of a four-year-old jumping on me while screaming ‘time to hop up, dad!’. I wrestle with him for a while and then I wander down my hallway and press the power button on my computer. I keep walking to the coffee maker. Sometimes my wife will already have it on, because she’s wonderful. I take my coffee back to my computer where I check my emails, Facebook, new comic pages and other art, internet forum chatter about my work, Skype messages from editors and I generally update my website if there’s something worth mentioning. Then, once all of that is done, and if I’m heading out of the house to work or heading to Colin Wilson’s house for coffee, I will put on pants.”

The rest can be read right here.

And of course… Star Wars: Invasion — Rescues #2 is out today!

From The Sci-Fi Bloc…

“This is definitely a comic to keep your eye on. There is action here, but this issue generally starts things off with reservation, as though it is confident enough in its overarching story not to feel a need to wow us right away. Especially when you’re talking about a race coming from without to invade an entire galaxy, the temptation to try to go big-for-the-sake-of-big must have been strong. It is a good sign that this comic avoids such an approach.” – The Sci-Fi Bloc

From our friends over at NJOE.com…

“The best character, for me, is definitely Kaye. She is every inch the leader. I would follow her into battle….this was a great issue to not only catch up with the whole cast but propel the story into where it needs to go for the rest of the arc, and yes it feels great to have Invasion back on the shelves again.” – NJOE.com

More…

“We’ve got some kick butt females in command of a Vong cruiser causing havoc.  We’ve got a traitor waiting to be discovered..and we’ve got a Jedi in training that doesn’t listen to Luke and Luke doesn’t mind that much. It all makes for good fun, a decent read and solid artwork to match.” - Show Me Sci Fi

“Consistency may not always lead to continued press coverage, but it does lead to some pretty spectacular books, of which this issue is a fine example. Rescues #1 continues on from the previous Star Wars: Invasion mini-series, but you don’t need to have read that to get up to speed on this new book – a short blurb and some clever exposition provides all you need to know without infuriating existing readers.” - Pop Culture Hound

Also, below is a glimpse of a very limited edition alternative cover by Jo Chen, offered as part of a competition Dark Horse are running.

Explosions.  Secrets.  Space battles.  Lightsabers.  Deception.  Destruction.  Revelations.  That’s just issue 1…

You want this.

STAR WARS: INVASION—RESCUES #1 (of 6)
Tom Taylor (W), Colin Wilson (A), Wes Dzioba (C), and Jo Chen (Cover)
On sale May 26
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

The Yuuzhan Vong invasion spreads death and destruction across the galaxy, leaving behind ravaged worlds with little hope of survival . . . Artorias, the homeworld of the Galfridian family lay in the path of the Yuuzhan Vong armada—and now, though separated, Finn, Kaye, Nina, and Caled work to fight the invaders with the hope that one day they will again be together on their peaceful planet.
Finn studies at the Jedi temple with Luke Skywalker and the grown Jedi children of Han Solo and Princess Leia! Kaye and Nina use a Yuuzhan Vong slave ship to attack their former captors! Caled raises forces on Artorias—not knowing the danger from one of his trusted allies!
• A new era in Star Wars comics!
Luke Skywalker’s galaxy under siege!

Go buy it.  Buy it for your friends.  Buy it for your family.  Buy it for your casual acquaintances.  Buy back-up copies.  Buy it for that lonely guy who rides your bus and always does that weird thing with his sinuses.

“If you only pick up one Star Wars title a month – this is it…”

- Undercover Fanboy

“this book does do a great job of establishing a galactically tense situation where our protagonists have been strewn across the galaxy. There’s a strange excitement to that sort of singularly Star Wars kind of setup and “Invasion’s” is a fine interpretation of the trope.”

- Comic Book Resources

“…22 action-packed pages!” “This issue kept moving and wouldn’t let you go until the very end.”

- NJOE.com

“Taylors’ writing is complemented by Wilson’s exceptional art skills. In an issue that starts the series off with a gratifying amount of action Wilson’s illustrations shine. He makes excellent use of perspective in nearly every panel using it to great effect whether it be to emphasize the speed at which the ships are traveling through hyperspace or to give us the the sense of intimidating awe that the planet’s victims feel as we do in the first appearance of a Yuuzhan Vong as he stands looming over a terrified victim.”

- Comics Bulletin

“Luke as a full Jedi Master is just so much cooler than the Luke from the movies. He doesn’t come off as a wise master but he sure knows how to be a badass when it’s needed.”

- ComicList

“3 pages in and I laughed and just had to put it down and enjoy… I’ve been loving this series… I want to see more.”

- Legion of Dudes

“The very first issue hooked me. I was done.” “ Where with ‘Legacy’ I was sort of interested in it… this one, I’m more than interested.  I can not wait for the next issue!”

- Alternate Reality – The Comic Book Podcast

Get your Vong on – April 28th.

Star Wars: Invasion — Rescues #1 (of 6) Written by Tom Taylor; Art by Colin Wilson; Colors by Wes Dzioba; Cover by Jo Chen On Sale May 26. 40 pages.

The Yuuzhan Vong invasion spreads death and destruction across the galaxy, leaving behind ravaged worlds with little hope of survival . . . Artorias, the homeworld of the Galfridian family lay in the path of the Yuuzhan Vong armada — and now, though separated, Finn, Kaye, Nina, and Caled work to fight the invaders with the hope that one day they will again be together on their peaceful planet.

Finn studies at the Jedi temple with Luke Skywalker and the grown Jedi children of Han Solo and Princess Leia! Kaye and Nina use a Yuuzhan Vong slave ship to attack their former captors! Caled raises forces on Artorias — not knowing the danger from one of his trusted allies!